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'I am confident they play cricket in Heaven. Wouldn't be Heaven otherwise, would it?'

This is the catch-all for cricket discussion.

I'm pretty sure there's far less of us keeping track of what happens in the square than in the NFL, so we'll quietly stake out some space here in cow corner.

Might not be the best time to start a cricket thread, after England collapsed for 51 in the second innings in Kingston, but its the start of their Windies tour, so alot can change in the next couple weeks. With the English summer only a few months away and our team undergoing a crisis of confidence, I know there are some Aussies on the board who can feel the rumble of the approaching Ashes. I've got a soft spot for the Kiwis and the Saffers, as the best side in the world at the moment, are fantastic to watch. So there's lots to talk about.

Our nets started a couple weeks ago and I've played a couple times in an indoor league on Sunday nights. Its felt good to actually face a few balls and start to get things clicking again for the season.

Who do you support? Who do you rate with the ball? The bat? Are you playing anywhere? Where have you played previously?

Alaistair Cooke wrote:

But after all, its not the winning that matters, is it? Or is it? Its - to coin a word - the amenities that count: the smell of the dandelions, the puff of the pipe, the click of the bat, the rain on the neck, the chill down the spine, the slow, exquisite coming of sunset and dinner and rheumatism.

Let's see if Bairstow can contribute now. My gut feeling is that they've missed a trick by not giving Morgan the next shout, though, just based on number of caps that he could bring to the table. But if Bairstow comes off, he cements his place in the side... Tough call.

I'm surprised how little demand there is for test tickets in South Africa. Even the boxing day fixture looks poorly attended from what I've seen. When was there last a full house for a cricket match of any kind?

I'm surprised how little demand there is for test tickets in South Africa. Even the boxing day fixture looks poorly attended from what I've seen. When was there last a full house for a cricket match of any kind?

Not sure, 50 over and 20 over games do well if they're on the weekend, don't know if they sell out though. Tests aren't that popular and most would rather watch from home or work.

Sad fact is cricket just isn't as popular as I'd like. Thanks to the legacy of the old days it's still considered a White sport and it's less accessible than rugby so hasn't made fans among Black folks while Whites seem to be drifting away. Getting my fiance interested has been an uphill battle. although she did look interested when I dragged her to last year's Boxing Day test.

Monster chuckles at Skunk - decided to play for Surrey against his old county Hampshire at Hampshire (old in the sense that he was theoretically playing for them, he rarely if ever bothered after 2005).

Booed onto the pitch as he came out to bat, and I mean properly booed. One golden duck later, cue massive cheers.

"It was a good ball that got Pietersen, pitching middle-and-leg and hitting off stump," said BBC Sport's Steve May.

"But it was greeted as though Southampton had won the Champions League and the FA Cup at the same time - 50- and 60-year-old people standing up and cheering with their arms in the air."

Excellent series, I wish we'd played 5 rather than having 3 against the Can't-be-Arsed Indies.

Could have been closer but for a couple of dropped catches and two very poor run outs. Just a shame that the attention-seeking dickhead decided to make an arse of himself by trying to negotiate his contract status through the media. Time for one tedious thing that no one gives a sh*t about (KP) to join another farce no one gives a sh*t about (the IPL - the only people who really care about it are the Indian tax authorities).

Adelaide will start hosting AFL games through the winter soon and so an upgrade to seating capacity was required.

One session to go an 5 wickets required while a couple of bull-headed guys keep us at bay. Runs do not necessarily add to excitement. The tension of today's play is a direct opposite to runs or wickets flowing. Gripping contest.

Good win for England as well. Just loved Gambhir shaking his head after being given out LBW on a ball that he nicked. Maybe if India had agreed to adopt DRS...oh that's right, you'd still have been back in the hutch after Aleem Dar missed the most obvious bat-pad you'll ever see a couple of overs earlier.